Moo Shu Pork with Mandarin Pancakes

This version of Moo Shu pork was a wonderful surprise that everyone at the table ate and enjoyed. I must add that this was better than any MSG laden, Chinese carry out Moo Shu I’ve ever eaten.

Plus, the mandarin pancakes were simple and tasted good as a vehicle for the veg or as a stand alone carb (per MELG).

I modified the Moo Shu pork recipe from Epicurious.com’s website – Chef Shirley Cheng’s recipe and a couple of other sites and made it to suit our taste and what I had on hand. However, the technique for preparing the pancakes came from the video created to accompany the recipe and was incredibly helpful. Making the pancakes is incredibly simple – they cook fast and stay warm when placed into a tin foil pouch and covered with a dish cloth.

A word about the pork. One can use either ground pork or sliced pork for this dish and still call it ‘authentic.’ Just a couple of days ago we made 2 good size pork picnics to use for pulled pork, pork and kraut, and whatever other pork dishes we were in the mood for (enter Moo Shu pork.) Thus, the pork I used this time was already full cooked and pulled into nice long strips. I did not add any marinade to the pork or season it in any other way other than what it picked up from the pan as it heated. There are several recipes for marinating and cooking the pork as part of the recipe, including a helpful one at epicurious.com.

In some ways, the simplicity of putting together this recipe, especially having had the pork already cooked, qualifies it for ‘rice with junk’ though I guess it would have to be ‘mandarin pancake with junk.’

Moo Shu Pork with Mandarin Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

Pancakes

• 3 C flour
• 1 C boiling water
• approx 1/2 C cold water
• Vegetable and Pork Filling
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten and scrambled
• 1 T sesame oil
• fresh ginger, thumb size piece, grated
• 3 T soy sauce
• 3 T rice wine
• 2 T fish sauce
• hoisin sauce
• 1 head napa cabbage, shredded
• shredded pork butt or shoulder, cooked (from previous pork dish)
• shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 3-5 green onions, sliced thin, on the diagonal
• and… any one or more of the following:
• edamame
• Chinese noodles
• bean sprouts
• celery
• julienne carrots
• cabbage, shredded
• bamboo shoots, sliced long, thin

DIRECTIONS

Pancakes

Add 1 C boiling water to 3 C flour. Stir slightly. Add 1/2 C cold water and stir until it becomes a dough – soft and tacky, but not sticky.

Add more flour if dough is sticky.

On a floured surface knead dough for 3-4 minutes. Set aside to prepare veg and pork. This gives time for the gluten to develop.

When veg is prepped, roll dough into a long, thick rope and cut into 16 pieces or break off small pieces of dough. Form dough into a ball, the roll out into a very thin circle.

Brush thin, uncooked pancake with a very light coating of sesame oil. Cook in a hot pan until the pancake begins to bubble or blister, flip over and cook another 45 seconds. Set aside to a warmer, foil, or dish towel. Keep warm.

Eggs

Make scrambled eggs, set aside.

Vegetables

Heat large pan or wok to hot. Pour in 1 T sesame oil to coat pan. Put in ginger root and saute 1 minute.

Add veg and stir fry until they begin to cook.

Add pork and allow it to warm. Add mushrooms.

Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and rice wine. Continue to stir and heat completely through.

Add scrambled egg to vegetables. Stir to combine all ingredients.

Serve hot with mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce.

~Enjoy!